


A Garden Of Stories

by Iamthesmileyface



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Blood and Injury, Drabbles, Fluff, M/M, Mindless Fluff, prompt fill collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 12:04:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamthesmileyface/pseuds/Iamthesmileyface
Summary: or: Smiley's Not-So-Smiley TalesA collection of prompts crossposted from tumblr!





	1. Barely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lore for this drabble: they’re on a legit job, but Vivi picked up a stomach bug, so the boys try to do it on their own. Spoiler alert, it doesn’t go too well. 
> 
> cw for blood
> 
> prompt courtesy of nemesis-is-my-middle-name on tumblr!

“It’s okay, you’re okay, we just — we need to keep moving,” Arthur panted, taking another slow, shuffling step. “Just one foot in front of the other, c’mon, we’re — we’re almost there, buddy.”

It was a lie, a bald-faced lie, but Arthur wasn’t sure Lewis could tell at this point. The larger man was leaning on him heavily, one arm slung over Arthur’s shoulders, the other clutching at his own side.

They were both littered with cuts and bruises and what Arthur_ hoped_ weren’t broken bones, each step painful as they made their way out of the abandoned warehouse, no doubt leaving a faint trail of blood drops in their wake. The ghost that had been inhabiting said warehouse_ really_ hadn’t taken kindly to Lewis suggesting it pass on.

Lewis grunted, whether to acknowledge Arthur’s words or merely to vocalize the pain, Arthur couldn’t tell. His steps faltered again.

Arthur sucked in a deep, painful breath, feeling the drying blood crack on his face. “We just need to, to get out of here, and then we can call the, the ambulance, and Vivi.”

“Vivi’s —” Lewis sounded breathless, voice tight and strained. “— Gonna kill us.” It was the first thing he had said since the sharp piece of wood had gored his side, blood spreading and staining the calm purple of his vest like — Arthur was too dizzy to think of a proper analogy, but it was one of the worst things he’d ever seen.

Arthur laughed, tinged with hysteria. His head dipped, but he forced himself forward, another shuffling step. He was the only thing keeping Lewis standing, after all. “Ffffocus on that…later, Lew. Now, right now, we gotta…gotta get outside. Where there’s service. Just a little bit more.”

Lewis leaned on him a little more heavily, and Arthur’s knee buckled. He wasn’t sure he could make it much farther. The adrenaline had faded into pure exhaustion, a litany of pain darkening the edges of his vision, and Lewis was just so_ heavy_…

But he had to. Otherwise — an image popped into his mind, both of them bleeding out on the dirty floor of this abandoned warehouse, not found for days or weeks, a double funeral when they were found. He shook his head, trying to dispel the image, but only succeeded in making himself more dizzy.

“Art — I — I don’t think —” Lewis slurred, stumbling forward.

“Sh-shh, save your breath, we’re gonna — we need to, to keep…” Arthur trailed off, taking a deep breath. The rest of his sentence faded out of his mind.

The door was so close. So, so close, then a phone call, and then he could rest. No, no, couldn’t rest, needed to — needed to make sure Lew was okay. That he didn’t —

Lewis’s breathing was labored. Arthur looked desperately to the door. Just a few more steps now. Just a few more agonizing steps.

“L-love you…” Lewis mumbled, head hanging low enough that his lips brushed Arthur’s hairline.

Arthur’s heart leapt to his throat, or maybe that was just his throat closing off from the pain. “Tell — tell me that later. Don’t — don’t you_ fucking dare_ make this your — your goodbye, fucker.”

Lewis laughed weakly. “‘Kay.”

With that, he collapsed fully onto Arthur, who stumbled, a cry of pain escaping numb lips as he fell forward, just barely bringing an arm up in time to shove the door open with their combined weight.

They crashed to the ground, Arthur’s world going black for a split second before he came to, face down in the packed dirt in front of the warehouse. A heavy weight pinned his right side. He scrabbled for his phone, pulling it out of his vest pocket. It took him a few tries to get a good grip on it, and even after he managed to pull up the phone app and dial, it slipped from his his hand.

Instead of trying to pick it up, he just tapped the speaker button with shaking, bloody fingers.

Later, for the life of him, Arthur wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what he told the 911 operator. 

Somehow, it was enough.

Barely.


	2. Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No content warnings
> 
> prompt courtesy of nemesis-is-my-middle-name on tumblr!

Arthur was almost comically determined as he waited for Lewis to open the door. Enough was enough. Lewis may have been his boyfriend (and some juvenile, not-as-buried-as-he’d-like part of him still jumped up and down with joy at calling Lewis his boyfriend, even a month later), but he had flustered him with his (adorable, toothachingly sweet) cheesy bullshit for the last time. It was time for him to get a taste of his own medicine.

The door opened, and Arthur’s breath was knocked clean out of him. Lewis was always dressed up somewhat formal, but seeing him in a casual hoodie and jeans should not have been enough to set Arthur’s face (by the feel of it, literally) on fire. Of course, Lewis had to throw a wrench in the works of his plan.

Arthur held out his hand, and Lewis took it with a cheerful greeting that trailed off into a strangled squeak as Arthur pressed his lips to the back of his hand. He pushed back the bubbling embarrassment at his own actions as he glanced up and was met with Lewis’s wide-eyed, almost wondering stare.

Lewis brought his free hand up to cover his face, trying to hide his delighted, but slightly embarrassed smile. “Oh my god, Arthur, seriously?!” Apparently, just as Arthur had expected, he could dish it out but not take it.

Arthur pulled back, still holding Lewis’s hand and trying to keep the triumph out of his smile. “What?” he started to say, and was completely drowned out by the sound of raucous laughter.

His face went somehow, impossibly redder as he realized just who had seen him do that. Cayenne Pepper was howling with laughter behind Lewis.

Lewis gripped his hand tighter and pulled him towards the van before he could collapse into a puddle of embarrassment. As soon as they were in the van, Lewis pulled him into an eager kiss. “That was adorable.”


	3. Ghost In The Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> superhero AU prompted by nemesis-is-my-middle-name!

Sometimes, Arthur wished his power was…better, more useful in the grand scheme of things. Sure, being able to create robots out of simple scrap metal with no more than a thought _looked_ impressive, but really it was nothing more than a faster version of what a skilled mechanic could do. Still, he reflected, it had its uses sometimes. 

“Alright, Lew, try this one out!”

The robot’s empty eyes lit up in pink, and the shining metallic face scrunched up as Lewis took control, lifting his hands and flexing them to get a feel for the new body. “Feels good so far.” The literal ghost in the machine smiled at him, sly and playful, stepping closer. “Only one more test to go.”

With that, he cradled Arthur’s face in one hand and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, the smooth metal warmed by the ghostfire. “Perfect,” Lewis murmured into the kiss.


	4. Soft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> no content warnings
> 
> prompt courtesy of nemesis-is-my-middle-name on tumblr!

> Lewis stirred to consciousness in increments. Darkness surrounding him, the warmth of the blankets, the soft cushion of the pillow beneath his head…it was all too tempting to just keep sleeping, but there was that nagging feeling that something was off. It took a few moments for his sleep-fogged mind to process that what was missing was the warm weight of another body in his arms. He propped himself up on one elbow, blinking blearily at the empty space next to him. The blanket was rumpled, but cool to the touch.
> 
> Lewis levered himself up out of bed, padding out to the hallway and – there. The door to Arthur’s room was ajar, soft yellow light spilling out into the hall with the gentle susurration of muttering and pencil skritching on paper.
> 
> Arthur was elbows-deep in schematics and papers when Lewis made his way in, squinting slightly against the light. He didn’t bother announcing his presence, instead just leaning over and draping his arms over Arthur’s shoulders.
> 
> Arthur startled for a moment, mechanical pencil clattering out of his grip before he realized who was touching him. He leaned back in Lewis’s grip, looking up at him with an easy, tired smile. “Hey, Lew. Did I wake you up?” His voice was little more than a whisper.
> 
> Lewis nodded wordlessly, shutting his too-heavy eyes and leaning over to press a kiss to Arthur’s tousled bedhead.
> 
> “I’ll just be –” Arthur cut himself off with a jaw-cracking yawn. “– ‘nother minute.”
> 
> Lewis shook his head and readjusted his grip, picking Arthur up out of his chair. From there he slung him up over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry with a mumble (definitely not a whine) of, “‘s _bedtime,_ Art.”
> 
> Arthur heaved a sigh that threatened to be a laugh, dangling limp in Lewis’s hold. “Fiiiine.” Another yawn, and he muttered, “Y’r’e prob’ly right, anyhow.”
> 
> Before they were even back to Lewis’s room, Arthur was fast asleep.


	5. Competence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> flash-the-geist asked: I wish you would write a fic where... the MSA gang are in a situation where *Arthur* is the confident one. :3c 
> 
> cw for really mild violence

The robots just wouldn’t stop coming. It was wave after wave after wave of what even Vivi could tell were shoddily-constructed scrap metal bots. They fell apart with a single blow from Vivi’s trusty baseball bat, but despite the relative ease of the one-hit kills, Vivi was tiring. Lewis was lying behind her, still mostly out of it, having accidentally taken a flying robot head to the face and gone down like a lead balloon; and Arthur was –

Arthur leaned in, hissing out, “I’ve got it –!” and vaulted over the side of the pile of demolished robots, leaping for the maintenance ladder that led up to the catwalk. She couldn’t watch him for long, another two shambling, clanking patchworks advancing on her drawing her attention. Another swing, her whole body jolting with the force of the bat cracking into the bots, who fell apart, joining their brethren in the confused jumble at her feet. But the catwalk shrieked and shook above her, Arthur nearly sprinting by the sound of it.

Before she had time to do more than blow her hair out of her face and pull her bat up into a ready position, the robots all went dead. A cacophonous clatter flooded the area as the bots fell apart into a sea of grey and rust red. Vivi stared, eyes wide, grip loosening on her bat. Then Arthur’s voice came from above, a triumphant whoop that turned to laughter, shaky with adrenaline. She looked up, squinting against the harsh lights and saw Arthur making his way back to her, much more sedately. 

He was grinning crookedly, still pale and wide-eyed with lingering jitters, and thrust out a metal box with a broken and duct-taped antenna sticking up. “It was – they were remote controlled! That’s why the ones at the back were acting all janky!”

Vivi leaned her bat against the robot pile, studying the dingy transmitter with a growing grin. “Hell yeah! Good job, Art. But, how did you know where it was?”

Arthur blinked. “Well, I mean, I saw the ones at the back faltering, and the ones at the very edges too, so I figured it had to be around there,” he pointed up to where he had found it. “Because the signal was so weak and the ones right under it were moving with the most cohesion every – wave, I guess?”

Vivi breathed out a laugh, taking the box out of his hands, setting it aside, and dragging him down for a relieved hug. “Well, you certainly saved our bacon, Artie.”

He hugged her back tightly, then pulled back, looking behind her. “We…should probably get Lew to a doctor? He might have a concussion?”

Vivi picked up her bat and handed the transmitter back, still smiling. “Yeah. Help me get him back to the van?”


	6. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cw: zombies
> 
> three-sentence fic
> 
> prompt courtesy of nemesis-is-my-middle-name

After the world ended, it wasn’t _all _action. There were still moments, quiet moments like this one, where Lewis had the two lights remaining in his world with him, Arthur with his head in Lewis’s lap and Vivi curled up against his side. It would be a heartwarming scene, if not for the scrapes and bruises that decorated the two of them, the sword lying loosely in Vivi’s sleep-slack hand, the worrying, _terrifying_ gashes the zombie left on Arthur’s shoulder that peeked out from the remnants of his shredded shirt.


End file.
